# Ways to get rid of fruit flies **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 29, 2004, 1:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ways-to-get-rid-of-fruit-flies/271772 "2004-10-29T01:40:03Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Melandry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/8797f3/32.png) [@Melandry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Melandry)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2004, 1:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ways-to-get-rid-of-fruit-flies/271772/1 "2004-10-29T01:40:03Z")
My apartment is full of fruit flies! After doing some googling, I have determined that they are hatching down the kitchen sink drain (thus there seems to be a neverending supply of them). The googling also came up with a bunch of websites trying to sell me Drain Gel (formerly known as Fly Gel; creative names, eh?). This is apparently some sort of super-Drano which will clear the gunk in the pipes which the flies are using as their food source and laying eggs in. They also sell fruit fly sticky traps but these will not eliminate the source of the problem. I am reluctant to buy these products online but have not had much luck finding them (or any fruit fly control product) in stores around here (I plan to try Walmart and Home Depot-type places this weekend while I am visiting Mom and Dad in Suburbia). So I have a couple of questions: does anyone know what my best bet is for finding these products not online? And, has anyone had success with other methods of eliminating drain flies? For instance, should regular Drano (I noticed at the grocery store they had a special ‘kitchen sink’ type) also be effective? All these websites claim bleach poured down the drain does not work. Swatting at the bloody things by hand is extremely inefficient, and I although my apartment is actually very clean, the infestation is starting to make me feel like I live in a pit. ---
**Author:** ![GorillaMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2004, 1:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ways-to-get-rid-of-fruit-flies/271772/2 "2004-10-29T01:43:39Z")
I had this last summer. They’re not fruit flies. (If they were, they’d be on the fruit, not the drains.) They’re other bastards, who are laying eggs in your mucky drain system. Quite simple, tip a load of bleach down every entry to the drain system is question, and plug every possible hole to ensure no escape. And repeat if necessary. (Environmentally-friendly solution to follow…) ---
**Author:** ![Walloon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/fbc32d/32.png) [@Walloon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walloon)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2004, 1:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ways-to-get-rid-of-fruit-flies/271772/3 "2004-10-29T01:52:10Z")
I’ll second that: pour chlorine bleach down the drain. No need to buy fancy stuff. Also, take out the garbage, and wash out any dirty garbage containers — with bleach. ---
**Author:** ![Melandry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/8797f3/32.png) [@Melandry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Melandry)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2004, 1:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ways-to-get-rid-of-fruit-flies/271772/4 "2004-10-29T01:59:45Z")
Trust me, they are fruit flies, they have the red eyes and all. [This page](http://www.pestproducts.com/fruitfly.htm#Fruit%20Fly%20Identification) has the distinctions between fruit flies and phorid flies. The same site also [confirms](http://www.pestproducts.com/fly.htm#Drains) that fruit flies will breed in drains. Finally, even if they are phorid flies or another drain fly and not fruit flies, the methods for eliminating any drain fly are the same. ---
**Author:** ![GorillaMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2004, 2:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ways-to-get-rid-of-fruit-flies/271772/5 "2004-10-29T02:33:10Z")
If they’re fruit flies, throw out the fruit. If that doesn’t work, they’re not fruit flies. And if there’s no fruit to start with, they’renot fruit flies. (The name has an origin, you know…) ---
**Author:** ![t-keela](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a3d4f5/32.png) [@t-keela](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/t-keela)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2004, 2:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ways-to-get-rid-of-fruit-flies/271772/6 "2004-10-29T02:40:54Z")
straight bleach will kill 'em Everybody is always talking about drano for this or how do I clean the pipes. Y’all do know that simply replacing the trap under the sink is the easiest damned thing to do. It is a hell of a lot easier than trying to clean all that shit outta the drain. A new trap is only a few dollars and can be changed with just a couple of wrenches. Actually a pair of channel lock pliers should do for most sinks. it’s just a thought maybe nobody’d had ---
**Author:** ![Melandry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/8797f3/32.png) [@Melandry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Melandry)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2004, 2:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ways-to-get-rid-of-fruit-flies/271772/7 "2004-10-29T02:52:09Z")
**GorillaMan** , read my previous cite. Or [this one](http://www.ipm.iastate.edu/ipm/iiin/ffruitfl.html), which comes from a university and everything, and which says: > [@](#): > > **However, fruit need not be present to have fruit flies, as they can originate from other sources.** These flies have red eyes, the distinctive characteristic of the **fruit** fly. They probably first entered the apartment on some fruit, yes. But there is no fruit now and they are still here, because as my cite in this post notes: > [@](#): > > Fruit flies can reproduce anywhere there is fermenting organic matter that stays consistently wet or moist. … The most likely of such sites in the home is a slow-moving or seldom-used sink, bathtub, shower, or floor drain in which a layer of slime (gelatinous film) has built up above the water line. Other moist accumulations of fermenting organic matter are possible and should be considered. These include wet areas under dripping pipes and refrigeration equipment, garbage containers, and discarded bottles and cans. ---
**Author:** ![Melandry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/8797f3/32.png) [@Melandry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Melandry)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2004, 2:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ways-to-get-rid-of-fruit-flies/271772/8 "2004-10-29T02:58:12Z")
**t-keela** , even if it is simple, I doubt my landlord would take kindly to my replacing the sink trap. And there’s no use in asking him to do it, he’d probably tell me the maintenance guy could be here in a couple of months (he has more important things to do, doncha know?). It is probably a good idea for a non-renter, though. I will try the bleach technique as soon as I get a chance to buy some bleach. In the meantime I am also trying a bacterial drain treatment as recommended in my cite just above. I note that they too say there is no benefit to trying bleach, and they’re not trying to sell me the fancy drain treatment. Oh well, can’t hurt, can it? ---
**Author:** ![Squink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@Squink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squink)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2004, 3:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ways-to-get-rid-of-fruit-flies/271772/9 "2004-10-29T03:13:58Z")
In the ‘homemaking’ section of old cookbooks, they mention that sink sanitation is improved by a weekly flushing of the drain with 4 quarts of boilng water. I had drain-flies once. The boiling water killed them, and they didn’t come back. ---
**Author:** ![Mithril](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mithril/32/3517_2.png) [@Mithril](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mithril)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2004, 3:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ways-to-get-rid-of-fruit-flies/271772/10 "2004-10-29T03:35:03Z")
I got this from the SDMB a few weeks ago and it works pretty well. Partially fill a jar with fruit juice and squirt in some dish soap. The flies are attracted to the juice and the soap prevents them from getting out. In combination with swatting the flies, this helped me eliminate my problem. Do a search on ‘fruit flies’. There are a bunch of threads on them. ---
**Author:** ![t-keela](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a3d4f5/32.png) [@t-keela](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/t-keela)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2004, 5:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ways-to-get-rid-of-fruit-flies/271772/11 "2004-10-29T05:19:58Z")
> [@Squink](#): > > In the ‘homemaking’ section of old cookbooks, they mention that sink sanitation is improved by a weekly flushing of the drain with 4 quarts of boilng water. I had drain-flies once. The boiling water killed them, and they didn’t come back. You got that right. A regular scalding of the old pipes will help “melt” any grease built up inside the drain. I always pour the water off my spaghetti or boiled eggs etc…right down the sinks followed up with some hot soapy water and since I wipe down my counters with a bleach solution that helps too. Seriously though for y’all who want to know (that don’t already). The trap under the kitchen sink is simply the double U shaped pipe under the sink that holds water. The water keeps the odor from coming up through the drain and yet allows water and food particles to pass. There are two large nuts that hold the trap on. They are usually not very tight and a simple pair of channel lock pliers should easily loosen the nuts and the trap just slips right off. Nothing hard about it. No tricks or special skills involved. A PVC or plastic trap will cost you two or three bucks. A metal one maybe five or six bucks. Just get one like whatever comes off. It shouldn’t take but a few minutes to do. I can and have done (hundreds of them) in less than five minutes…easily. There another piece of drain pipe that runs from the sink to the trap but it’s a short straight section that rarely needs replacing and is easily cleaned so I wouldn’t bother unless you just feel inclined to do so. It’s easier than changing the trap and is obvious what to do when you look at it. There’s just one large nut that holds it on and the pliers will do the job. The next time you get a clogged drain and can’t get it clean…you can call the plumber and he’ll do it for probably 50 bucks. Or you can do it yourself for practically nothing and just a few minutes of your time. ---
**Author:** ![moriah](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b2d939/32.png) [@moriah](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/moriah)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2004, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ways-to-get-rid-of-fruit-flies/271772/12 "2004-10-29T18:16:34Z")
Another trap for the flies: an open bottle of wine with just about an inch at the bottom. They’ll go in, they won’t get out. Peace. ---
**Author:** ![t-keela](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a3d4f5/32.png) [@t-keela](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/t-keela)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2004, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ways-to-get-rid-of-fruit-flies/271772/13 "2004-10-29T19:02:53Z")
It’s just a thought, try keeping a little soapy/bleach water in the sink. I like this because I like to wipe up and clean the kitchen throughout the day. I hate dirty dishes in the sink or even clean ones for that matter. But if you’ll at least keep the stopper in the drain it might help and you can get for about $2-3 a drain strainer that has a real fine mesh for catching food particles and stuff. It should keep the flies in/out. ---
**Author:** ![GingerOfTheNorth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/cdc98d/32.png) [@GingerOfTheNorth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GingerOfTheNorth)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2004, 9:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ways-to-get-rid-of-fruit-flies/271772/14 "2004-10-29T21:43:21Z")
DaveW0071, our resident killer-for-hire, told me that these little buggers are drain flies, when I had an infestation about a month ago. A foaming drain cleaner (Draino in our case) and they went away and haven’t returned. ---
**Author:** ![ltfire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ea924/32.png) [@ltfire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ltfire)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2004, 12:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ways-to-get-rid-of-fruit-flies/271772/15 "2004-10-30T00:05:36Z")
You could put some show tunes on a portable CD player, and take it outside. They will follow the music. ---
**Author:** ![edwino](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/35a633/32.png) [@edwino](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/edwino)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2004, 1:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ways-to-get-rid-of-fruit-flies/271772/16 "2004-10-30T01:29:16Z")
I would refrigerate any fruit, and any open vinegar, malt products, bread, or anything with yeast or vinegar in it. Here’s what we do in the lab. We take a bottle and cover the bottom with vinegar. If vinegar is not working, try pieces of fruit with some yeast and a few squirts of vinegar. Or if you have a bit of fruit juice in the bottom of a bottle, this is great – add some yeast to it. The flies love the yeast and the vinegar. We then make a cone out of index cards of card stock that fits in the neck of the bottle (make sure there are no gaps on the side). The tip of the cone should open not much more than one fruit fly big and points down into the bottle. The flies get in but are too dumb to climb back out the funnel; if they do, your hole is too big. Here’s the experts on the matter: [http://flystocks.bio.indiana.edu/getting-rid.htm](http://flystocks.bio.indiana.edu/getting-rid.htm) ---
**Author:** ![CrankyAsAnOldMan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crankyasanoldman/32/11670_2.png) [@CrankyAsAnOldMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CrankyAsAnOldMan)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2004, 1:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ways-to-get-rid-of-fruit-flies/271772/17 "2004-10-30T13:06:18Z")
Well, since you seem to be collecting a variety of ideas… pouring ammonia down the drain got rid of the drain flies in our bathroom. The small gags me; musta had the same effect on the little biggers in the drain. ---
**Author:** ![spingears](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ebca7d/32.png) [@spingears](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/spingears)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2004, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ways-to-get-rid-of-fruit-flies/271772/18 "2004-10-30T18:24:18Z")
> [@Melandry](#): > > My apartment is full of fruit flies! After doing some googling, I have determined that they are hatching down the kitchen sink drain (thus there seems to be a neverending supply of them). Let me make a wild guess. You dispose of cooking grease in the sink drain? Doing so coats the sides of the trap with a build up of grease and other food waste that drain flies love. Eliminate the source and voila, no more fles. 1. Flush the drain with a pot of really hot to near boiling water to melt and wash down the grease. 2. Stuff the trap with a loose wad of toilet paper or cleansing tissues and fill the drain to the top with liquid caustic “Drain-O” or similar product to saponify all remaining grease. Drain may open spontaneously or if not apply plunger with plain warm water in sink. BE CAREFULL the caustic is hard on the eyes. 3. Be sure all other drains in house have an adequate water seal. 4. Put all grease in garbage or closed top collection can and then to garbage. ---
**Author:** ![Melandry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/8797f3/32.png) [@Melandry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Melandry)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2004, 10:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ways-to-get-rid-of-fruit-flies/271772/19 "2004-10-30T22:48:53Z")
[QUOTE=spingears] Let me make a wild guess. You dispose of cooking grease in the sink drain? [QUOTE] No, actually, I don’t, but I am not very diligent about making sure that food chunks/particles (from dirty dishes) don’t go down the drain (no garbage disposal)- I suspect that’s it. I am visiting my parents this weekend and have left some vinegar traps out while I’m gone. When I get back I will try boiling water and plain old Drano to try and clean out the drain. **spingears** , what does the toilet paper do to help the Drano work better? Just curious. Thanks for all the tips. ---
**Author:** ![Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Otto)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2004, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ways-to-get-rid-of-fruit-flies/271772/20 "2004-10-30T22:58:25Z")
> [@ltfire](#): > > You could put some show tunes on a portable CD player, and take it outside. They will follow the music. Wow, that’s so _clever_! Playing on “fruit” being a derogatory slang term for “homosexual” and tying it in with the “all gay men love show tunes” stereotype to give it that extra level of offensive power! Truly, you are a master among humorists. And not in any way a complete jerk. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ways-to-get-rid-of-fruit-flies/271772.md?page=2)